YouTube is the great democratizer of what we watch, no matter where we do it. You’ll find produced plays, video essays, and calliopes of slapstick and remixes to suit your every last desire of the moment. With all the minutes of video uploaded to it every second, it’s no surprise thatYouTubehas the most minutes watched out of all the major streaming services,according to Nielsen.
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No doubt, then, you’ve become familiar with all the ads you’ll have seen before, during, and after all the videos you’ve watched for free on the platform. It’s not enough that you have the five-second skippable ads, but the unskippable thirties, too. If you’re tired of dancing yourmousearound to avoid the wait, you might want to think about signing up for YouTube Premium. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is YouTube Premium?
In 2014, Google began offering a paid subscription service calledMusic Keythat let fans stream music from participating labels on Google Play Music and watch music videos on YouTube without commercials. That ad-free privilege expanded to all videos on the platform with the launch of YouTube Red in 2015.
In 2018, Google pushed forward with restructuring its streaming music service into YouTube, bringing forward the all-new YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium. The two plans have since become part of the same subscription offering.
As of 2024, YouTube Premium is available in110 markets, giving viewers an ad-free experience along with extra features acrossYouTube,YouTube Music,YouTube Gaming, andYouTube Kids.
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What does YouTube Premium include?
The main draw of YouTube Premium is the removal of commercials from the viewing experience – it means less downtime watching the unskippable ads, and less hassle from jumping to click the Skip Ad button after the timer counts down. If you’re wondering about whether content creators receive revenue from viewers with YouTube Premium, the situation is a bit complicated, but they ultimately do.
YouTube also used to commission and produce original content for YouTube Red and YouTube Premium. While that content is still available to watch, you won’t see much new content – now dubbed YouTube Originals – posted up for Premium-exclusive viewing these days. Some series, such as Rhett & Link’s “Buddy System,” have been made free to watch for ad-supported viewers.
YouTube Premium features
Wherever your Google account is signed in, you’ll be able to watch YouTube without ads and take advantage of other special features. Most of the big ones serve those on phones and tablets and they include:
Other features workable on more devices include:
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Whatisn’tincluded with YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium covers a lot of the individual experiences on YouTube and YouTube Music. However, if you’re interacting with creators by becoming a paying member of a channel or sending Super Stickers and Super Chats during their live streams or video premieres, you’re paying out of pocket for those transactions separate from your Premium subscription fee.
Most movies and all Prime time streaming channels (viaAndroid Police) on offer in YouTube’s catalog also require separate purchases or subscriptions. And YouTube Premium is most certainly not YouTube TV – over there, you’re paying way more for a high-tech cable subscription package.
How much does YouTube Premium cost?
Music Key started off as an $8 per month subscription. By the time YouTube Red came around, the price was bumped up to $10. At some point in between, the standard monthly rate went up to $12.Nowadays, you’ll pay depending on the membership type that matches your specific needs. See the 2024 pricing table below, and note that for a family membership, it is good for up to six members total, aged 13 or over.
Membership
Individual
Yes, YouTube is not immune to the hiking trends of the wider streaming industry. In North America and a number of other countries (see thisYouTube Helppage), you can also pay for a year’s individual membership – that means students and families are excluded – at the cost of 10 months. Just note that it’s non-renewing and is not eligible for a partial refund.
By default, YouTube offers a one-month free trial for Premium, but you’ll be able to find other places on Google’s services, such as Google One or even through a Discord Nitro subscription, where, if you haven’t signed up for YouTube Premium before, you can redeem a free subscription for three months or, in the case of Google Fi back in 2022, up to a year (viaAndroid Police).
How to keep YouTube music playing in the background on iPhone
With the YouTube app requiring a premium subcription for background music, you may have given up hope on it, but there is a workaround.
Head toyoutube.com/premiumif you’re on the web. Using a phone, open the YouTube app, tap your account avatar in the top-right corner and selectGet YouTube Premium. Follow the instructions provided. You’ll be charged via Google’s Play Billing system, so your purchase is eligible forGoogle Play Points.
You cn cancel your membership at any time by visiting thePaid Membership pageof your account.
More YouTube Premium FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium?
Q. How do I play videos and music in the background?
To play videos and music in the background using YouTube Premium, which has background play enabled by default for YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids, simply start a video or music track and then exit the app; the content will continue to play until you pause it. You have the option todisable this feature at any time through your app settings. Go to Settings, select Background Play under Background & Downloads, and choose Always on, Off, or Headphones or external speakers.
Using the YouTube, YouTube Music, or YouTube Kids apps on your mobile device, you may download videos and music for offline viewing and listening. Additionally, you can download videos for offline playback on your computer through Chrome, Edge, or Opera browsers. Once downloaded, you can access this content without an internet connection for up to 30 days. To download a video to your computer with aYouTube Premium account from a desktop, select the video, click Download below it, and that’s it/
